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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Cattle Breeding Policy: Desi breed conservation should not be at expense of farmers, milk output -Narayan G Hegde

Cattle Breeding Policy: Desi breed conservation should not be at expense of farmers, milk output -Narayan G Hegde

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published Published on Mar 16, 2018   modified Modified on Mar 16, 2018
-The Indian Express

Lobbies with no stakes in dairy husbandry are undermining the achievements of crossbreeding through false glorification of the Indian cow.

Livestock is an important asset for Indian farmers to supplement their agricultural income. Cattle and buffaloes have been traditionally maintained by them for milk production as well as manure and bullock supply. With 191 million cattle and 109 million buffaloes, India accounts for 30.3 per cent of the global bovine population. The country also tops in world milk output, with an estimated 155.5 million tonnes (mt) output in 2015-16.

However, India’s annual milk production per cow is only 1,310 kg, as against the world average of 2,200 kg and way below the 9,314 kg for the US and 10,035 kg of Israel. Such low milk yields are mainly because about 60 per cent of our cattle are genetically eroded nondescript animals. These animals, having no specific breed characteristics, produce just 350-500 kg of milk over an average annual lactation cycle. Out of the remaining 40 per cent, roughly 20 per cent comprises identified Indian cattle breeds with annual milk yields of 600-1,000 kg and another 20 per cent crossbred cows that produce 1,800-2,200 kg per year.

With rising farm mechanisation and use of chemical fertilisers, apart from rising feed and fodder costs, maintaining cattle and buffalo is today becoming uneconomical, unless the focus shifts to dairy husbandry as an economically viable and sustainable source of livelihood. But for that, it is necessary for farmers to keep animals yielding at least 1,200-1500 kg of milk per lactation. Currently, over 80 per cent of cattle in India are owned by some 70 million small and marginal farmers, a majority of whom rear nondescript cows. With an efficient breeding programme for improving the progeny of such animals, these poor farmers can adopt dairy husbandry as a reliable livelihood avenue.

Out of the 37 recognised indigenous breeds of cattle, only four — Gir, Red Sindhi, Sahiwal and Tharparkar — are true milch breeds, with their average milk yields at around 1,500 kg per lactation. Another seven breeds are of dual purpose, maintained both for dairy and draught functions, and with 800-1,200 kg annual milk yields. The rest 26 are primarily draught breeds, reared for producing bullocks and whose milk yields are well below 800 kg.

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The Indian Express, 15 March, 2018, http://indianexpress.com/article/india/cattle-breeding-policy-desi-breed-conservation-should-not-be-at-expense-of-farmers-milk-output-5098227/


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